Ambon remains tense, death toll rises

Octovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

The Maluku capital of Ambon remained tense and deserted on Wednesday as most people chose to stay home amid tightened security.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Tuesday's sectarian rioting rose to 10 after three more bodies were found on Wednesday.

Two new casualties were marines identified as Pvt. Alfandi and Pvt. Wagimin, whose bodies were discovered in the wreckage of KM Kalifornia that exploded on Tuesday.

Another body of a 10-year-old girl, Meilan Limaheluw, was also found floating in Ambon Bay, where the vessel explosion sparked the riot.

Ambon Navy chief Lt. Col. Chaidir Patonorri said his troops were still searching for another missing marine First Sgt. Wajar Anglika.

Also on Wednesday, a bomb hoax at the provincial governor's office, caused panic among officials and forced them to flee the building that had been stoned by rioters that burned the city's legislative council (DPRD) building on Tuesday.

Witnesses said an unidentified caller had told a staff member that there a bomb was planted inside the governor's office.

Many civil servants refused to return to work for fear of new attacks even though troops patrolled the capital city.

Chaidir said the Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina, who is also head of the civil emergency authority, had ordered a thorough investigation into those involved in the riot, including the burning of the DPRD building.

Meanwhile, Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Farouk M. Saleh said security authorities would step up surveillance against people suspected of attempting to incite further violence in the province days before Idul Fitri and Christmas celebrations.

He said the police would not invite the warring Muslim and Christian groups to a reconciliation forum in an effort to prevent more clashes from recurring. "There is no need to force them to do so. I will convince people here to maintain peace and order within their respective groups."

Major Herry Suhardi, acting spokesman for Ambon's military command, said he suspected the involvement of extremist outsiders in Tuesday's incident, citing a recent attack on Iweri village on Buru Island.

"The incident in Iweri village has proven our suspicions. When I came to the scene along with Ambon's Pattimura military chief Colonel Syafruddin Sumah, they (villagers) said outsiders came to their village and provoked them to attack. The provocateurs later disappeared after the attack took place," Herry said.

He said the military had identified a group of provocateurs during Tuesday's attacks, but declined to reveal what action it would take against them.

Christian groups accused the Islamic militants Laskar Jihad, who came from Java, of being responsible for the boat explosion, which also left 42 people injured.

Fighting between Christians and Muslims in the Maluku islands has claimed the lives of 5,000 people in the past three years. Conflict first broke out in Ambon on January 19, 1999, one day before Idul Fitri, and has continued unabated despite the imposition of a civil emergency status on June 27 last year.

Sporadic clashes had erupted between warring religious groups even before the Dutch and Portuguese colonizers left the spice islands.

The Dutch treated Muslims and Christians discriminatorily, provoking occasional fighting among them. However, any clashes were resolved quickly through traditional conflict resolution councils called Pelagandong, headed by tribal leaders.

Under former dictator Soeharto's 32-year rule, the key role of Pelagandong was eliminated and any conflicts were resolved by formal security authorities who were distrusted by locals and said to be corrupt.

Sociologists have blamed public frustration over development disparities and the wide economic gap between the indigenous people and migrants for the outbreak of violence in the past three years.

Apart from that, they said, the policy of the Soeharto government whereby the center of power was the central government to the detriment of the regions was also a contributing factor in the continued clashes.